Bob Brown & Brad Rogers Win Senior Four-ball In Playoff
Bob Brown’s 7-iron shot from 140 yards landed three feet from the hole and set up a birdie that resulted in a two-hole playoff victory for him and partner Brad Rogers, also of Hominy Hill, in the 21st NJSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township.
Brown and Rogers edged out defending champions Ron Vannelli of Forsgate and Steve Mauer of Metuchen, the runners-up, and third-place finishers Bill Charpek of Navesink and John O’Malley of Forsgate, who were ousted on the first playoff hole.
The three playoff groups came in after 18 holes tied at 1-iunder-par 70.
The top net finishers were champions Michael Penso of Metedeconk National and Thomas Weinman of Hominy Hill, followed by runners-up John Tricker of Golf Club of N.J., and Harry Van Dezilver of Woodlake and Dave Deering of Pine Barrens and Andrew Miller of Rossmoor.
“We never expected to come in here and win. There was no pressure on us at all. We had no strategy for the playoffs, just to hit the ball straight,” said Rogers, 63, a retired plumber for Monmouth County who carries a 7.5 handicap. He lives in the Leonardo section of Middletown.
“We ham-and-egged it pretty good. We don’t hit it far, but we do hit it straight,” said Brown, 69, a retired truck driver for Pepsi, who lives in Keansburg. He carries a 7.0 handicap.
The match came down to second playoff hole. Charpek and O’Malley carded bogey and exited after the first playoff hole, the par-4 10th hole.
Next up was the par-4, 410-yard No. 18 hole. Brown drove it down the middle and left himself 140 to the slightly uphill hole.
“Brad hit first and he left his six iron from 145 a little short. I just wanted to hit it solid, stay down on it and follow through. On the putt, I was a little nervous. It was straight and downhill and I knew I had to just tap it. I was putting pretty good all day today,” Brown said.
Brown and Rogers were not strangers to the NJSGA Senior Four-Ball Championship. They placed in the top 10 the previous two years at Panther Valley, where Vannelli and Maurer won, and at Galloway National.
“Steve was steady all day for us,” said Vannelli, 67. “He made a bunch of pars for us. I had three birdies, including one on our 17th hole (No. 1), that got us into the playoff. “It was a very tough day out there with all the wind.”
